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Love Where You Live this September by helping clean up Georgetown
[UPDATE: The location for the community collection event has been moved to Georgetown High School, 2211 N. Austin Ave.]
This September, the City is asking you to Love Where You Live by helping clean up Georgetown.
Rivery Park clean-up event Sept. 10
The City of Georgetown is hosting a riverbank cleanup event on Sept. 10 in Rivery Park, 1125 Woodlawn Ave. Free public parking is available in the Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel & Conference Center garage, 1101 Woodlawn St.
Volunteers can check in for the event beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the white tent near the playground, which is in the middle of the park. A safety briefing will be held at 8:55 a.m. The cleanup will be from 9-10 a.m.
Volunteers must fill out this waiver to participate. Volunteers may sign the waiver at the event.
During the event, trash bags and gloves, as well as light snacks and drinks, will be provided. Participants are asked to wear appropriate clothing such as long pants, hats, and sunglasses, as well as comfortable closed-toe shoes.
Individuals interested in volunteering can email MS4Operator@georgetown.org to register or sign up online at transportation.georgetown.org/river-cleanup. The cleanup event may be canceled in case of bad weather. Follow the City’s social media pages for updates: facebook.com/cityofgeorgetown and twitter.com/georgetowntx.
Household Hazardous Waste collection event Sept. 21
The City will host a free household hazardous waste collection event from 3-6 p.m. Sept. 21 in San Gabriel Park, 425 E. Morrow St.
The event will be available for up to 400 Georgetown solid waste customers who have solid waste service through Texas Disposal Systems. Customers must contact Customer Care at 512-930-3640 or customercare@georgetown.org to have their names placed on a list. Please include your name, address, and utility account number when emailing customer care. Customers must have their names on the list to participate.
Residents must remain in their vehicles during the no-contact collection. Staff will unload items from the back seat or trunk of the vehicle.
All items to be dropped off must be in their marked original containers. Commercial disposal and trailers are not allowed.
For more information about what household items will be accepted, visit https://recycle.georgetown.org/residential-programs/household-hazardous-waste.
Community collection event Sept. 24
The City’s Public Works Department will host a community cleanup event from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 24 at Georgetown High School, 2211 N. Austin Ave.
During the event, residents will be able to drop off paper for shredding, tires, mattresses, and electronics, including televisions, microwaves, computers, and cell phones. Individuals are limited to three boxes or sacks of paper for shredding and up to four tires per carload. There is no limit on electronic items. Household hazardous waste items will not be accepted.
To participate, please bring a donation for Friends of the Georgetown Animal Shelter, which helps support the needs of the Georgetown Animal Shelter. Items needed include:
- Squeegee poles and heads
- Muffin tins
- Stainless steel pet pails
- Pill pockets for dogs and cats
- Small dustpans
- Durable dog toys
Monetary donations will also be accepted.
Painted Rain Barrel Project coming in October
The City of Georgetown’s Water Conservation Team is looking to bring awareness to sustainable watering resources with the vibrant addition of art to rain barrels. The first annual Painted Rain Barrel Project will coincide with the Georgetown Arts and Culture Program’s Autumn Art Stroll, South Main Arts Festival, and the Water Conservation Team’s “Imagine a Day Without Water” events in October 2022.
The barrels will be displayed around City facilities and local businesses downtown, before and during the South Main Arts Festival. All painted barrels will be available to purchase via a silent auction that will run through the course of the Autumn Art Stroll and South Main Arts Festival.
Seeking applicants for the Painted Rain Barrel Project
Through Aug. 31, 2022, the City of Georgetown’s Water Conservation Team invites artist proposals for the Painted Rain Barrel Project. These rain barrels will be placed throughout downtown Georgetown during the October arts events, then auctioned off to community members. All proceeds will be donated to conservation education efforts in local schools.
Artists will receive 40 percent of the total profits collected from the rain barrel auction. A $125 minimum bid will be placed on all barrels.
For more information, including submission guidelines, visit Request for Artist Entries for the Painted Rain Barrel Project.
Georgetown Arts and Culture Board awards grants for 2022 Round II
The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board approved $12,100 in grants in July to local arts and culture organizations to help with funding local arts and culture programming that includes visual art, music, and performance art in Georgetown.
The funding is for events in Georgetown taking place between Oct. 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.
Grant recipients include:
| Project or event name | Grant amount |
| Central Texas Philharmonic for their Patriotic Pops Concert | $2,500 |
| Georgetown Art Works for Art Hop | $2,000 |
| GTX Connect for Fiesta Georgetown | $3,400 |
| GTX Film for the 2022 GTX Film Festival | $2,000 |
| Williamson County Symphony Orchestra for their Free Spring Orchestra “Pops” Concert | $2,000 |
The next grant cycle will accept proposals Dec. 1-30, 2022, for events and programs occurring April 1-Oct. 31, 2023.
The Georgetown Arts and Culture Grants help the Arts and Culture Board fulfill bylaw requirements, which include recognizing and encouraging groups and organizations that enrich Georgetown life by bringing cultural and artistic values and artifacts to the City. Members of the Arts and Culture Board believe a vibrant arts community and cultural offerings are good for the quality of life for residents, will attract visitors, and will assist Georgetown in becoming a nationally recognized arts destination by 2030. The grant program helps develop and strengthen our local arts community by contributing funding to arts and culture programming that enhances our local community.
For more information about the Georgetown Arts & Culture grants, visit arts.georgetown.org.
Tweetalong with Sun City’s Water Matters Group member John Steele
This week we joined the Sun City Water Matters Group for a tweetalong to learn about the group and to see a day in the life of a Water Matters member in Georgetown.
Water Matters Group is made up of volunteer residents of Sun City focused on water conservation and water-saving education and is a program of the Neighborhood Representative Organization in Sun City. The group was created in 2014 and now has 84 water ambassadors, 26 water evaluators, and 6 leadership team members.
Members meet twice a month and produce newsletters and articles for the “Sun Rays” magazine, maintain a website for the group, and host a Water Matters Town Hall in March.
“We must conserve drinking water, there is no question about that,” Water Matters Group member John Schideler said. “The message must get out to all residents. Neighborhoods must recognize the importance of conservation and then enforce rules and regulations of conservation.”
We joined Water Ambassador John Steele on the morning of July 27 for a few hours to see what a day in the life of a Water Matters ambassador was like. During our time together we helped adjust residents’ irrigation controllers to be set for the right watering days according to the City’s one-day watering schedule. We also helped identify issues with sprinkler heads, found broken irrigation pipes, and helped a neighbor plan for yard maintenance to help with drainage issues.
Steele said he approaches each situation with the goal to educate homeowners about how to properly care for their yards and conserve water while doing so. He said it is important to make sure your home’s irrigation system is set to the correct settings and to check for broken pipes or sprinkler heads, both of which will help you conserve water and decrease your water bills.
“Water Matters isn’t just about sprinkler regulation,” Steele said. “We’re about education and figuring out how best to teach residents about their water use and what’s best for their lawns.”
Steele said the Water Matters Group also takes time to make sure homeowners know about the City’s many water conservation rebates. You can find your watering schedule, information about water rebates, and more at water.georgetown.org.
You can relive the day with us here.
Here are some highlights from our day:
Trucks and Tunes event July 28
The City of Georgetown Economic Development Department is hosting Trucks and Tunes, featuring food trucks and live music from 4-7 p.m. July 28.
The event will be at the Georgetown City Center, located at Forest and Ninth streets near the historic Light & Waterworks building. Three food trucks will be onsite, and there will also be a live music performance.
The event is free to the public, and attendees are welcome to bring blankets or chairs to enjoy the performance.
For more information, www.facebook.com/events/334026808764512.
Williams Drive now open at Lakeway Drive after gas leak: updated
Update, 8:15 p.m. – Williams and Lakeway drives are now open to traffic. A small section of Booty’s Crossing remains closed while work to repair the gas line continues. Atmos Energy does not expect any customers to lose service.
Update, 8 p.m. – Crews are working to remove barricades and restore traffic lights, so we can reopen the intersection Wednesday evening. Williams Drive is already open for traffic. The intersection and roads should be open for the morning commute tomorrow (Thursday, July 14); however, traffic may continue to be rerouted on Booty’s Crossing while work to repair the gas line continues. Atmos Energy does not expect any customers to lose service.
Update, 2:00 p.m.- Atmos has tested the area and has not detected any immediate harm to the general area. It appears the gas is dispersing straight upward, and no residential evacuations are needed at this time.
Update, 1:30 p.m.- Georgetown Parks and Recreation closed the Williams Drive pool and canceled water aerobics for the day. Staff opened the Village Pool from 1-7 p.m. to accommodate swimmers.
Update, 10:30 a.m.- Atmos Energy is evacuating nearby businesses and expects the repairs to take all day. Customers in the area may experience natural gas outages.
Posted at 9:30 a.m.- The City of Georgetown’s Police, Fire, Streets, and Systems Engineering departments, along with Atmos Energy, are working a significant natural gas leak at the intersection of Williams Drive and Lakeway Drive/Booty’s Crossing. A large gas line was struck by construction crews working in the area.
Businesses in the immediate area have been notified of the ongoing incident.
Motorists are encouraged to find alternate routes around the area, and it is anticipated this incident will create significant traffic complications through the area for most of the day.
Williams Drive at the Lakeway Drive/Booty’s Crossing intersection will be closed until further notice.
Watering restricted to one day per week as of June 28, 2022
City enacts Stage 2 of Drought Plan due to high water use
Due to sustained high water use nearing system treatment capacity, the City of Georgetown is enacting Stage 2 of the Drought Contingency Plan effective on June 28, 2022. Watering with an irrigation system or hose-end sprinkler will be restricted to one day per week.
Over the past two weeks, water production from the City’s water treatment plants has exceeded 90 percent of capacity on multiple days, triggering the need to move to Stage 2 of the Drought Plan. During the summer months, 75 percent of the water produced each day by water treatment plants is used for lawn and landscape irrigation.
“Given the high water use we have seen in the past few weeks, enacting the one-day watering schedule ensures we have enough water to meet our primary goals to provide water for domestic use inside the home and for fire flow,” Director of Water Utilities Chelsea Solomon said. “Once we have had multiple days of use exceeding 90 percent capacity of our water plants, restricting outdoor water use to once per week is how we ensure in the Drought Contingency Plan that we have water to meet the demands of essential indoor uses and fire suppression.”
The one-day per week irrigation schedule is based on the last digit of the street address.
| Address ends in: | May water: |
| 1 | Tuesday |
| 2 or 6 | Wednesday |
| 0 | Thursday |
| 5 or 9 | Friday |
| 4 or 8 | Saturday |
| 3 or 7 | Sunday |
| No watering | Monday |
Watering with an irrigation system is not permitted from noon to 7 p.m. on any day. Watering with a hand-held hose or bucket can be done any day and at any time. Washing a vehicle is only permitted at a commercial car wash.
The City of Georgetown is providing a one-week allowance for water customers to adjust their irrigation systems to comply with this schedule before issuing citations. After the one-week grace period, violations of the irrigation schedule may result in administrative charges on customer bills.
Violations of the irrigation schedule may result in administrative charges on customer bills.
Find more information on rebates, programming your controller how-to videos, and information on our water system at water.georgetown.org. For questions about your utility bills, contact Customer Care at 512-930-3640 or customercare@georgetown.org.
Georgetown Animal Shelter closed June 21-22
Due to continued staffing shortages, the Georgetown Animal Shelter will be closed Tuesday, June 21. The shelter is normally closed on Wednesdays. Staff anticipates opening the shelter Thursday, June 23.
If you find a lost dog or cat, please speak with your neighbors and post on social media first. You may also take the pet to a Georgetown fire station to have it scanned for a microchip.
If you or your neighbors cannot safely care for the animal during this time, please call Animal Control at 512-930-3510, ext. 6.
We anticipate returning to our normal schedule on Tuesday, June 21.
We apologize for any inconvenience. With this plan, and with the community’s help, we can make sure the animals in Georgetown still get the care they need.
Celebrate the arts in Georgetown this Summer
UPDATED JULY 12, 2022: The Arts and Culture Brownbag Luncheon scheduled for Thursday, July 14, has been canceled. Information about the next Arts and Culture Brownbag Luncheon in October will be announced at a later date.
Posted June 20, 2022
The City of Georgetown is looking for individuals to showcase their work and artistic ability, as well as proposals for the next round of Arts and Culture grants. The Arts and Culture Program is also hosting a quarterly luncheon.
Seeking Applicants for 2022-23 Sculpture Tour
The City of Georgetown is seeking entries for the 2022-23 Sculpture Tour, a juried, year-long outdoor exhibit in the busy Georgetown Cultural District. Applications will be accepted from 12:01 a.m. June 1 to 11:59 p.m. Aug. 1.
Each sculptor may submit up to three sculptures for consideration. Eighteen sculptures will be selected by the City of Georgetown Arts and Culture Board to be featured in the tour, which includes outdoor exhibits around the Square, at the Georgetown Public Library, and the Georgetown Recreation Center.
Sculptures will be installed in October and will be on display until October 2023. All sculptors with works selected to be in the tour will be awarded a cash prize, including $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second, and $1000 for honorable mention.
For more information, including submission guidelines, visit Call for 2022-2023 Annual Georgetown Sculpture Tour Entries – Georgetown Arts & Culture.
Grant Proposal for Arts and Culture are now open
The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board is now inviting grant proposals for events and programs occurring between October 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, as part of the 2022 round two grant period. The deadline for submitting is June 30, 2022.
The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board awards grants twice each year for visual art, music, theatre, dance, literary, and cultural heritage events and programs taking place in Georgetown. All applicants are considered without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.
Nonprofit organizations, schools, and informal arts and culture organizations creating arts and culture programming, or an event open to the public are eligible to apply. Organizations that received funding in the 2022 round one grant period are not eligible to apply for 2022 round two.
For more information and to submit a proposal, please visit the grant page at Georgetown Arts & Culture Grants – Georgetown Arts & Culture.
Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon
The quarterly Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon returns at noon July 14. Pack your lunch and join us at the Georgetown Public Library for a presentation by Gary Wang, principal architect and founder of Wang Architects. His presentation, “Landscape and Architecture as a Bridge to Public Art,” breaks down how to use the arts and public art in large-scale architecture and design projects. Updates from arts and culture stakeholders in the Downtown Georgetown Cultural District will follow Wang’s presentation.
Find more information about the Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheon at Arts and Culture Brown Bag Luncheons – Georgetown Arts & Culture.
Trucks and Tunes event June 23
The City of Georgetown Economic Development Department is hosting Trucks and Tunes, featuring food trucks and live music from 4-7 p.m. June 23.
The event will be at the Georgetown City Center, located at Forest and Ninth streets near the historic Light & Waterworks building. Three food trucks will be onsite, and there will also be live music by Wendy Colonna.
The event is free to the public, and attendees are welcome to bring blankets or chairs to enjoy the performance.
